relapse records

Initial Descent: September 2 – 8, 2018

Josh4 Comments
krisiun band photo
Krisiun

We’re hitting you with this one on Labor Day so hopefully all of today’s visitors have the day off and the time to actually go through this list of new releases. That also means NO MONDAY BLUES. Until tomorrow. Ugh. Nevermind that for now, keep reading.

Starting us off is everyone’s favorite Brazilians Krisiun with their eleventh full length, Scourge of the Enthroned, and honestly if it weren’t for the rest of this list, I could make a home inside their robust ass kicking death metal. But, there’s MA’s Morne up next with To the Night Unknown and I’m not sure if you’ve been following this band or not but you’ll want to now —- this band is doing truly amazing and unique things with doom and post-metal. And then there’s Pig Destroyer who cut the strings on a six year silence with the abrasive yet instantly catchy Head Cage, one thing I’ve learned over the past several years is these guys can do no wrong and whether you’re into grindcore or not GET THIS ALBUM. And on top of all that is And All Will Be Desolation from Allfather which I have tagged below as beard metal – it’s in their catch phrase, look it up – but in reality this thing is a smorgasbord of sludge, death metal and beat down hardcore that is the best work this UK band has done to date, check out “Citadels” for proof – good god man.

I told you today was good. And you haven’t sent the rest yet, much more of this to come below. If you’re off, enjoy and happy Labor Day. If you’re working…well, that sucks and happy Labor Day anyway. See you here throughout the week. Continue reading →

Initial Descent: August 12 – 18, 2018

JoshLeave a comment
Trappist
Trappist – photo courtesy of Paul Lee

We are in the throes of a new week, like it or not. No need to get all bent out of the frame though, Monday means it’s time for new metal and for another week of showcasing some of it. Plus we’re on the downhill slide of the year and if the first half was any indication, the second half should be a knockout finish. Speaking of, we begin the week with a four pack of treats. Carry on…

We like beer and so does Trappist, who in the span of 21 tracks in 33 minutes, rip with crusty d-beat violence on their debut Ancient Brewing Tactics all in the name of almighty beer. It’s a supercharged juggernaut slam full of all star guests so make sure to check this one out – they’ve also included some pairings, nice guys. Just in time to extinguish the light from everything are two beasts of blackened doom and noise; Primitive Man and Unearthly Trance offer up a Split release that will leave indelible marks on any and all souls who dare to listen (over the top? nah). Black Tusk return with an all-guns-blazing attack of swampheavypunkmetal on T.C.B.T. and Cemetery Urn continue their reign of savage death metal on Barbaric Retribution.

As usual, we are far from done with what this week has to offer so head directly below to get your fill. Continue reading →

CANTO: Voivod, Paradise Lost, Opeth and more!

DanLeave a comment

voivod

It’s not coming home. Oh well.

Hey, it’s our third day in a row of Canto! If we get to five, Corey has to buy a Justin Bieber album! If we don’t, he has to eat a shoe! Here’s your metal news:

  • Leading off, Voivod announced its 14th studio album, The Wake. The album will arrive September 21st on Century Media, two years after the mini album, Post Society and more than five after its last full-length, Target Earth. Get excited, y’all!

    • Continue reading →

Initial Descent: June 3 – 9, 2018

JoshLeave a comment
YOB
YOB

Another week full of stuff, things, happenings and more stuff. Whatever. But now, a fresh start in the form of new releases and even though the massive quantity of recent weeks has waned a bit, quality takes a front seat. So, what’s up this week?

Oregon’s (and the world for that matter) favorite doom sons, YOB, return with their eighth full length Our Raw Heart and in case you’ve somehow missed it to this point, this is some of their most heart wrenching yet fully realized work to date. Yea, I said it. Feel free to have your own opinion. Nearly as massive but on the death metal front is Tomb Mold with their second full length Manor of Infinite Forms which rides even higher than their debut — is it possible? Yes…and again, insert opinion here. Moving right along with Lago, a band I discovered and developed a huge affinity for back in 2014, return with their second full length Sea of Duress and honestly I didn’t expect this much death metal maturity but I’m fully engrossed once again and happier than a pig in sh…you get the idea. Last up in the opening slots this week is Zeal & Ardor with their amazing combination of black metal and spirtuals with Stranger Fruit and this is where you’ll find something way different from the norm yet something to completely lose yourself in — love this band. We’ve had an already massive showing but as usual there is soooo much more. Stick around as long as you like and by all means, leave those opinions in the comments section below.  Continue reading →

Album Review: Yob – “Our Raw Heart”

Chris1 Comment

YOB - Our Raw Heart

We count time in moments, not minutes.  Minutes are an easy subdivision, a common agreement to note the objective passage of time.  But we never objectively pass time: our “time” is made up of moments that can feel like a second or a lifetime.  A minute is nothing without the events that fill it, and those events can warp and distort our perception of time in the best and worst ways.  All of which goes to say that what for us may feel like about four years since Oregon titans of doom Yob released an album, it can never match or compare to how long it must have felt for Mike Scheidt and company to release Our Raw Heart, a piercing catharsis that seeks to make sense of the tumultuous events of Scheidt’s recent past, and not coincidentally some of their best work to date.   Continue reading →